Films & Schedules
- W

A WAR IN HOLLYWOOD

DIRECTOR: Oriol Porta - SPAIN

The Spanish Civil War, perhaps Hollywood’s first cause célèbre, saw famous actors, directors, and screenwriters joining together to denounce Fascism in Spain. The subject of more than 50 Hollywood films, including such classics as For Whom the Bell Tolls and Spanish Earth, the defeat of democracy in Spain left an open wound in the hearts of many, who used their affection for democracy as a potent symbol of the romantic spirit of many of their screen characters. Porta offers a fascinating approach to the relationship between filmmaking and politics, focusing on the personal story of Oscar-nominated screenwriter Alvah Bessie (Object...

The Spanish Civil War, perhaps Hollywood’s first cause célèbre, saw famous actors, directors, and screenwriters joining together to denounce Fascism in Spain. The subject of more than 50 Hollywood films, including such classics as For Whom the Bell Tolls and Spanish Earth, the defeat of democracy in Spain left an open wound in the hearts of many, who used their affection for democracy as a potent symbol of the romantic spirit of many of their screen characters. Porta offers a fascinating approach to the relationship between filmmaking and politics, focusing on the personal story of Oscar-nominated screenwriter Alvah Bessie (Object Burma), who fought against Franco as part of the International Brigade and was later blacklisted in Hollywood for his supposed Communist sympathies. (92 mins.)

WHEN WE LEAVE

DIRECTOR: Feo Aladag - GERMANY

Confronting the realities of female oppression and the identity conflicts of many second-generation immigrants, When We Leave tells a tragic, all-too-common story. Umay (Sibel Kekilli) is an ethnically Turkish German citizen living with her husband and his family in the Istanbul suburbs. Suffering horrible abuse at the hands of her husband, she escapes with her young son and flees to her family in Berlin, who, instead of comforting her, are horrified and shamed at her actions. If she won’t return, their only choice is to send her son back to his father, salvaging at least some of their reputation. Aladag’s...

Confronting the realities of female oppression and the identity conflicts of many second-generation immigrants, When We Leave tells a tragic, all-too-common story. Umay (Sibel Kekilli) is an ethnically Turkish German citizen living with her husband and his family in the Istanbul suburbs. Suffering horrible abuse at the hands of her husband, she escapes with her young son and flees to her family in Berlin, who, instead of comforting her, are horrified and shamed at her actions. If she won’t return, their only choice is to send her son back to his father, salvaging at least some of their reputation. Aladag’s deeply affecting debut, winner of the New Director Prize at the Tribeca Film Festival and German Film Awards for Best Film and Best Actress, is this year’s German submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. (119 mins.)

THE WHISTLEBLOWER

DIRECTOR: Larysa Kondracki - CANADA

Set in 1999, The Whistleblower is a harrowing political thriller chronicling the true story of a former Nebraska police officer named Kathy Bolkovac (Rachel Weisz) as she tackles a job as a peacekeeper working for the United Nations in Sarajevo. Arriving in post-war Bosnia expecting a well-organized international effort, she instead finds chaos and cynicism. Working for the UN’s Gender Office, which is assigned to investigate sexual assaults, she quickly stumbles into the grim realities of sex trafficking, discovering that the very people supposedly helping battle injustice and human rights abuse are, in fact, their facilitators. As she works to...

Set in 1999, The Whistleblower is a harrowing political thriller chronicling the true story of a former Nebraska police officer named Kathy Bolkovac (Rachel Weisz) as she tackles a job as a peacekeeper working for the United Nations in Sarajevo. Arriving in post-war Bosnia expecting a well-organized international effort, she instead finds chaos and cynicism. Working for the UN’s Gender Office, which is assigned to investigate sexual assaults, she quickly stumbles into the grim realities of sex trafficking, discovering that the very people supposedly helping battle injustice and human rights abuse are, in fact, their facilitators. As she works to bring her discoveries to light, naiveté gives way to indignation and desperation. Kondracki’s hard-hitting, emotional film sheds passionate light on the horrific exploitation of women and the forces that enable abuse. (112 mins.)

THE WHITE MEADOWS

DIRECTOR: Mohammad Rasoulof - IRAN

Rasoulof’s enigmatic feature tells the story of Rahmat, an elderly man who collects the tears of souls in pain in a tiny pitcher—remaining all the while a nonjudgmental witness to the absurd havoc wreaked by the powers that be. Traveling by boat to scenes of sorrow through a seascape dotted with salty white islands and cliffs, he encounters a woman consigned to the sea for rejecting an unwanted marriage, an artist punished for his choice of colors, a young virgin drowned as a sacrifice to the gods in hopes of rain, and other unfortunates. An allegory for government persecution of...

Rasoulof’s enigmatic feature tells the story of Rahmat, an elderly man who collects the tears of souls in pain in a tiny pitcher—remaining all the while a nonjudgmental witness to the absurd havoc wreaked by the powers that be. Traveling by boat to scenes of sorrow through a seascape dotted with salty white islands and cliffs, he encounters a woman consigned to the sea for rejecting an unwanted marriage, an artist punished for his choice of colors, a young virgin drowned as a sacrifice to the gods in hopes of rain, and other unfortunates. An allegory for government persecution of artistic expression, Rasoulof’s elegant, poetic feature is both timely and timeless. Like the waters he sails, the tears of the grief-stricken, which are said to turn to pearls, are expansive. (92 mins.)

THE WOODMANS

DIRECTOR: C. Scott Willis - UNITED STATES

“Francesca Woodman’s haunting black and white images, many of them nude self-portraits, now reside in the pantheon of great photography from the late 20th century. The daughter of artists Betty and George Woodman (she a ceramicist and he a painter/photographer), Francesca came to New York with the intention of setting the art world on fire. But in 1981, at 22, she committed suicide. Beautifully interweaving Francesca’s work with interviews with her parents, who have nurtured her reputation while continuing to make art of their own, the film grapples with disturbing issues such as parent-child competition and the toxic level of...

“Francesca Woodman’s haunting black and white images, many of them nude self-portraits, now reside in the pantheon of great photography from the late 20th century. The daughter of artists Betty and George Woodman (she a ceramicist and he a painter/photographer), Francesca came to New York with the intention of setting the art world on fire. But in 1981, at 22, she committed suicide. Beautifully interweaving Francesca’s work with interviews with her parents, who have nurtured her reputation while continuing to make art of their own, the film grapples with disturbing issues such as parent-child competition and the toxic level of ambition that fuels the New York art scene. Says Betty Woodman succinctly: ‘She’s the famous artist, and we’re the famous artist’s family.’”—Film Forum. (82 mins.)

THE WOODS

DIRECTOR: Matthew Lessner - UNITED STATES

“We were promised change, but it never came. Our cities crumbled around us. We agreed to take action into our own hands. We preset our DVRs and ventured out of the city limits united. In the woods, we will be safe. In the woods, we will start anew. This satirical attack on young, modern, globally conscious citizens tells the story of eight grown-up American children creating utopian society as best they can. With gorgeous super-16 footage and an eclectic soundtrack featuring Dirty Projectors, Sun Araw, and Lucky Dragons, filmmaker Matthew Lessner playfully subverts counter-culture films of the ’70s while questioning...

“We were promised change, but it never came. Our cities crumbled around us. We agreed to take action into our own hands. We preset our DVRs and ventured out of the city limits united. In the woods, we will be safe. In the woods, we will start anew. This satirical attack on young, modern, globally conscious citizens tells the story of eight grown-up American children creating utopian society as best they can. With gorgeous super-16 footage and an eclectic soundtrack featuring Dirty Projectors, Sun Araw, and Lucky Dragons, filmmaker Matthew Lessner playfully subverts counter-culture films of the ’70s while questioning the shortcomings of his own complacent generation. In a world where new technologies merely distract us from reality, the greatest revolution can only begin by leaving everything behind.”—Sundance Film Festival. (90 mins.)